And Humbled, Again

Every so often I get fired up about something really unimportant in life. Something that, in the grand schemes of things, means so little. I know I shouldn't allow myself to waste time on an emotion like anger. There are so many ways to expend my energy positively.

After I babble on about one of these unimportant subjects, it's pretty much inevitable that I will be humbled by a story that really is worth my time. A story like the one you will see here.

I actually used to be in a playgroup with this blog author, and I had no idea what life had thrown at her in the last few years.

I remember MckMama as the natural, exuberant person she is on her blog. Once at playgroup, her eldest son threw a huge tantrum and I could see one of the looks of motherhood in MckMama's eyes. It's that look we all get when we are exasperated and our children are just being children, just testing limits and waiting for us to set boundaries.

And MckMama set them. I admired her that day when she, pregnant with one and overseeing another baby, marched her son out of playgroup because he was misbehaving. She didn't give him candy or babytalk to him or unrealistically threaten him. She told him they would have to leave if his behavior continued, and she left.

To those who haven't been a mother as a Hurricane Tantrum unfolded, setting boundaries might seem like a simple thing. But the truth is: setting boundaries is not simple, and moms need to be commended for sticking to their guns. Teaching children the proper way to behave is pretty much a thankless, daily effort.

Anyway, this simple memory delves nowhere in the personal battle MckMama is now facing. My prayers are with her and that beautiful Stellan. This is a family of God.